Blood Brother
by shinigami-lives
Summary: Some people say there's nothing more important in the world than your family. Vaan believes that, but he also believes that family is what you make of it, and though he has precious little left, he'll fight for all of them. AU


Prologue

The Royal Palace of Rabanastre may have been the ancient seat of the rulers of Dalmasca since the time of the Dynast King, Basch reflected, but said ruler obviously had not given much thought to soundproofing. Or maybe the original architects had been utterly unprepared for the impressive lung capacity of a certain descendent of the Dynast King. Either way, the shouting could be heard even in the small, heavily tapestried chamber where Basch had been sorting through paperwork, three long corridors away from the door he was now approaching, with more than a little trepidation.

However, while the noise had carried easily, the words at least had been muffled, so it was only when he pushed the door open that Basch knew for certain the cause of the angry explosion, though he could have made a very good guess beforehand. As he entered, he caught the last snatches of a sentence that made the reason for the argument painfully clear,

"…So you want me to run away and hide like some kind of frightened child?"

Basch swallowed a sigh and entered the chamber, closing the door softly behind him, not wanting to disturb the angry tableau. Nevertheless, as the door closed with an almost inaudible click, the room's three occupants all turned towards him as rapidly as if he had slammed the door as loudly as possible. Basch bowed first in greeting to his oath-sworn liege lord and king. King Raminas Dalmasca appeared hale and hearty despite his advanced years and the plague that had recently ravaged the land. But he was pale under his tan and his normally piercing grey eyes were drawn with deep lines of exhaustion and the grief of a man who had lost his wife and eight children to plague, sickness and monster attack.

It was the younger of the king's two remaining children who was currently in the room with him, though Basch had known his identity for some time coming through the palace complex – the shouting had definitely given it away. The young prince had never had the self-control of his late brothers, and was frequently even more short-tempered than his tempestuous older sister. But looking at the teen, Basch found himself surprised by the sheer intensity of his anger as he glared equally at his father, Vossler, and now Basch himself. When he spoke, it became clear that he felt that everyone in the room was against hime in this debate/argument,

"I'm not stupid – I know Archadia is going to invade. Do you really think I'm so weak that I have to run away and hide?"

King Raminas looked exhausted by this comment, so it was Vossler who responded in what was obviously rapidly becoming a tired argument,

"It's not a question of your capabilities, or your sister's. It is merely a matter of practicalities. Your sister's upcoming wedding is too well known for her to be concealed now. And as you are the last prince of Dalmasca, there are certain steps that must be taken-"

Said last prince cut him off, scowling,

"That's total bullshit. The succession is determined according to primogeniture, which is a good thing, cause Ashe'll be a far better ruler than I could ever be."

The tension drained slightly from Basch at this, and he felt a wry smile come to his lips. It had long been understood that Dalmasca's youngest prince lacked certain qualities necessary in a King – tact being one of them. Even Raminas smiled indulgently at his son, while their smiles became wilder as the prince attempted to scowl, but just ended up pouting. After a few moments, Basch spoke,

"A chain of safe houses is being organised in the city for resistance against a potential Imperial invasion of Rabanastre. We can-"

The prince cut him off, his face pale with something that looked a lot like fear,

"You really think that'll happen? That the imperials will come to the city?"

Basch felt himself frowning and knew Vossler was doing the same. Such sudden fear was uncharacteristic for the prince, particularly allowing it to show so soon after his protestations that he understood the dangers of the possible invasion. It was ultimately Raminas who responded to his son's implicit plea, speaking to him as son, subject, and second-in-line to the throne simultaneously,

"Vaan, you know that even with our new alliance with Nabradia, we do not have the combined strength to oppose the full technological might of the Empire. But while others must fight, it is our duty to maintain the security of Dalmasca's people and her sovereignty by other means."

It looked for a moment like Vaan wanted to interrupt, but for the moment he remained uncharacteristically silent and contemplative. Eventually he spoke, his voice carefully moderated, so as to avoid giving away too much of his thoughts as he spoke,

"It's not that I'm unaware of our situation. It's just that I have friends in the city who would not have the degree of diplomatic protection that I might count upon should Imperial troops enter the city."

"How do you…" Vossler began, but then trailed off. "On second thought I don't want to know how much time you've been spending unsupervised in the city to cultivate such…friendships."

Vaan just smirked. Basch felt his headache returning in full force. Just when the throbbing pain in his temples normally associated with trying to reason with the unpredictable prince began to fade, Vaan spoke again, turning Basch's headache into a full blown migraine,

"I've spent enough time with them that I'll trust them to keep me safe if you do insist on my going into hiding."

"Don't be ridiculous!"

For a moment Basch feared he had been the source of the explosive comment, but a quick glance told him that Vossler's notoriously short temper had burnt over. Vaan however maintained his composure to answer in a balanced manner,

"Look, none of them know who I really am, and I trust them like family. 'Sides, if the Empire ever does come into the city I'd only endanger the Resistance by staying with them. The Empire would never think to look too hard at another orphaned street child in the crowd."

Vossler looked like he still wanted to protest, but the King spoke then, fixing his son with a knowing gaze,

"These friends of yours, are you really sure you can trust them?"

Vaan answered his father without hesitation, and in complete sincerity,

"I could and will trust them with my life. Re…one of them's like a brother to me – he lost both his parents and his younger brother to the plague. He lives with another friend and her family, but her mother died when she was young and her father and surviving brothers are in the army. Neither of them really knows who I am, but I know they'll keep me safe nonetheless."

Raminas considered this for a while, then spoke,

"If this is the only condition you have for going into hiding, then we will accept it. You will probably find more safety behind anonymity than amongst the blades of the resistance. But pray the gods keep you safe and if the fates will it, you may return to us soon."

Vaan met his father's gaze evenly and nodded steadily,

"I'd best prepare to leave then. May the fates smile upon you and Dalmasca."

With that the prince turned on his hell and practically fled the room, not looking back. The door thumped closed with an ominous echoing sound. Basch turned to his king and saw his eyes were filling with tears.

It was only by sheer chance that Basch saw Vaan again as the prince was leaving the palace. He was conducting a string of surprise security checks in order to distract himself from earlier events through his tried and tested method of entirely immersing himself in his work. But as he was checking fortifications in a deserted area of the palace walls, he saw a slight figure with a small bundle over one should slip from the servants' quarters and head towards an almost invisible concealed door in the outer wall. Making a mental note to have the security flaw remedied, Basch approached the prince and spoke quietly,

"Though I'm pleased to discover how you've been getting in and out of the palace without anyone knowing, I thought you would have left earlier than this."

Vaan whirled around, revealing suspiciously red eyes set above a fierce scowl.

"I was talking to Ashe. Why? So desperate to get rid of me already?"

From the red hand mark burning slightly across his right cheek, Basch guessed there had been more than just talking between Vaan and his tempestuous sister. However, he judged that it might be more polite not to mention that at this precise moment. Instead he began carefully,

"If you ever need anything…"

"I'll go to Old Dalan," Vaan cut him of abruptly. Then the vulnerability returned and the prince looked painfully young, scared and hurt for his fourteen years. After a moment however, he composed himself and continued speaking, if in a softer tone. "It's okay, Basch. It's hardly going to be like living in the palace, but I've spent a lot of time in the city. I'll be fine. Just keep them safe for me, please."

Words didn't seem sufficient, so Basch tried to convey with his eyes the sincerity of his promise to the young prince. But still that seemed insufficient, so in a moment of impulse, he removed his pendant from around his neck and slipped the falcon talisman around the boy's neck. Vaan grasped reflexively at the soaring wings of the pendant, staring wordlessly up at Basch. Basch spoke quietly and fiercely, trying to explain the gesture's significance,

"In Landiss these pendants are lucky talismans for warriors. My father gave them to my brother and I the day we started our military training. As long as you wear it, you shall be safe."

Vaan's gaze was transfixed on the fierce head of the falcon, and when he spoke his voice was distracted, almost wondering,

"If there's to be a war, you should have this, to keep you safe in battle."

Basch smiled wryly,

"No mere talisman can prevent my death in battle if it is my time to die. I would feel safer however knowing you were guarding my last remnant of Landiss – these pendants were never made anywhere else and each one is unique, except those of my brother and I, which are exact reflections of each other."

Vaan frowned,

"I never knew you have a brother."

Basch let out a long breath, trying not to think of those last few days in Landiss and the angered betrayal in Noah's eyes as he had walked away,

"I had a twin brother, but I have not seen or heard from him since I left Landiss. We parted on bad terms and I fear that he may have gone to the judiciary in Archades while I came south to Dalmasca to protect the refugees."

Vaan whistled through his teeth,

"A Judge!"

There was a moment of silence as the wind blew through the leaves on the trees, green with life despite the arid heat of the nearby desert sands. Then Vaan lifted his hands to his neck, brushing his hand absently over Basch's talisman as he reached for the pendant he had worn his entire life. Unfastening the metal chain, he pressed both chain and pendant into Basch's hand, wrapping the captain's fingers around the metal, warmed by the prince's body heat and the desert sun. After a stunned moment Basch spoke, his voice hardly more than a whisper,

"I can't take this. You father…"

"Will understand. You gave me your family legacy so I give you mine, that the fortunes of our house and the line of the Dynast King may shine on you in battle. Besides, you'll need all the luck you can get now you have to keep watch over Ashe. One tip – she may look small and delicate, but she has one hell of an arm on her."

With that, Vann cast one last look at the palace that had been his home for fourteen years, going through the door and disappearing into the crowds in the street with practised ease. Basch remained standing in the royal gardens, a royal heirloom gripped in his hand. He stood there for a long time, so that when Vossler came looking for him to discuss the security inspection, he was still standing there, staring into nothing.

TBC.


End file.
